Article holder



March 27, 1928. 1,664,109

W. N. HOWDEN 7 ARTICLE HOLDER Filed Oct. 20. 1926 Patented Mar. 27,1928.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM N. HOWDEN, OF SAN PEDRO, CALIFORNIA.

ARTICLE HOLDER.

Application filed October 20, 1926. Serial No. 142,898.

My invention is an article holder to suspend various articles from awall or the like by a frictional engagement therewith.

An object of my invention is the construction of an article holder madeof bent wire or rods, in which the pair of rods which g'rip'the articlewill have the free ends supported by a relatively rigid cross structure,these gripping rods being movable towards and from each other andgripping through the spring action of the wire.

Another object of my invention is a holder in which the outer'parts areslightly canted upwardly to allow ready insertion of an article and thegripping of an article between the holding ends slightly turns theopposite sides of the holder into a downwardly converging direction.

A feature of my invention is a holder to project horizontally. from awall or other supporting structure, the holder being preferably formedof a single wire having an eye to fasten to the structure. wires arebuilt outwardlyhorizontally and then substantially horizontally parallelto the wall. Arms extendoutwardly andthen inwardly forming grippingarms, the free ends resting from the horizontal supporting base which isparallel to the wall.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of one type of article holder;

Fig. 2 is a frontelevation of same taken in the direction of the arrow 2of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 isa side elevation taken in the. di rection of the arrow 3 ofFig. l

Fig. 4 is a plan view of an alternative construction Fig. 5. is a frontelevation takenin the I direction of the arrow 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is aside elevation taken in the direction of the arrow 6 of Fig.4.v

In the construction of Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the article holder is madefrom a single strip of wire or rod having an eye 1 by which a screw orthe like may secure the holder to a wall or the like. Vertical hangerstrips 2 are formed by. the double wire pressed close together and thehorizontal supporting strips 3 are formed by bending the parallel wiresoutwardly horizontally from the wall. Base wires 4 then extendsubstantially horizontally and also parallel to the wall and areconsequently at right angles to the hanger strips 2, this being formedby diverging the two parts The double of the wire. Outwardly extendingstrands 5 are then formed, these strands converging together, the wirethen being bent into inwardly converging strands 6. The gripping strands7 form a return making a substantial rectangle of the parts 4, 5, 6 and7, the free ends 8 extending across the top of the base wires 4.

Preferably the base wires 4 have the cor- 11ers 9 slightly bent up abovethe horizontal. The strand 5 is preferably curved upwardly so that theouter corner 10 is at a slight elevation above the corner 9 and istherefore slightly above the support 3. The strands 6 are preferablyslightly downwardly inclined so that the corners 11 are slightlydepressed compared with the corners 10 and also depressed slightly belowthe base wires 4. The grippin strands 7 are slightly upwardly inclinedfrom the corner 11, the free ends 8. as above mentioned riding on thebase 4.

, The manner of functioning of the holder of'Figs. 1, 2 and 3is-substantially as follows:

An article such as abroom handle or Other device to be suspendedispressed between the corners 11, being guided by the strand 6. .In suchoperation the gripping strands 7 are pressed apart, the holder bendingslightly at the corners 9. The device is then held by the grippingstrands 7 engaging the handle of the broom or other article betweensame. The weight of the article thus pulls dowiiwardly on the grippingstrands 7 and gives a slight twist to the holder so that the strands 6become slightly more inclined than when the device is in the normal.position and also pull the strands 5 slightly together. It is intendedthat articles to be gripped will distort the holder so that the grippingstrands 7 will be substantially parallel when an article is held betweensame and as the holderis made of resilient material, there will beconsiderable inward pressure against the sides of the broom handle orthe like holding same suspended.

In order to give greater rigidity to the device, a metal band 12 may beplaced around the supporting strip 3, thus preventing the two wiresforming this strip from spreading apart when an article is wedgedbetween the corners 11 and the gripping strands 7.

The holder of Figs. 4, 5 and 6 is constructed in a somewhat similarmanner with an eye having hanger strips 21 formed by the two parallelwiresrand supporting strips 22 also formed of the two Wires in parallel,the latter being bent outwardly at right angles to the strips 21 an'd atright angles to the wall or to the construction. Base.

arms 23 extend outwardly and at thesame time diverge from theends of thesupporting strips. Strands 24am extended outwardly from the wall butconverge inwardly towards each, the strands 25 which fund 'tion to guidethe articles being gripped eX- tending inwardly towards the wall andconverging towards each other. I Y

Bent sections 26 fornrpart oi": the gripping strands, having a straightsection 27 fornu ing an extension inwardly from the bonds, thefree-ends28 of the wire riding on and being supported by the base arms22. In this construction the base arms 23 are preferably-slightlyinclined upwardly so that the corners '29 are slightly above thesupporting strips'l 22. The strands 24: are also slightlyinclined'upwardly so that the corners are slightly above the corners 29andabovethe supporting strip 22. The

short strands 25 however. tilt downwardly as well as=convergrngso thatthe corners 3.1 are below the corners and preferably below the corners29-and ii desired below the supporting strips 22. strands 26 and 27 areinclined upwardly so that as, above mentioned the free ends 28 ride onthe base arms23."

It is to be understood that in both of the illustrations, the relativeangular positions of the dillierent strands and wires and the relativepositions of the corners are somewhat exaggerated in the drawings tobring out the details of construction. 7 4

It will be seen referring to Figs. 4, 5

and 6-.that the parts 23, 24,25, 26 and 27 form a four sided figure inwhi chthe wires the strands mayreadilygive or bend at the corners 29, 30and 31.

When an article is 'ri) )ed in the holder of Figs. 4, 5 and. 6 it is:guided into position by the strands 25 pressing the corners 31 apart.This may cause a slight spreading of the supporting strip 22 or abending at thecorners 29. The articleif round is preferably. grippedbetween the curved sections 26. It is intended in this construction thatwhen an article is gripped by the holder the gripping strands27will-besubstantially parallel and the strands 24 bentoutwardly to a greaterextent than shown. The weight g of the article tends to' pull thecorners 31 (ill , not supporting any article.

downwardly, giving the strands 26 a slightly greater inclination thanwhen the device is If desired articles maybe held. between the grippingstrands 27. While the free ends of gripping strands are pressed slightlyapart when an article The gripping is gripped, it is to be understoodthat the metal is of sufiicient rigidity that it will not bend toofreely'at the angular corners to allow such ends to spread too Wideapart. Moreover, to prevent such ends from spreading there is africtional engagement with the base arms and also a slightly forwardslope of such base arms.

It will 'be noted that a characteristic fea ture of my article holder isthat the free ends 8 and 28 of the'gripp'ing "strands"? and 27 ride onand are supported by base wires 4- and'23, respectively" having,reference particularly tov Figs. land 4.

Thereibre, when a heavy article is engaged;

by the gripping wires,.these wires are prevented. rrom saggingdownwardly at their inner free ends. VV'here in the specification andclaims I refer to tliefreeendsof the wire or of the grippingwires beingported or riding. on' base; wires, thisfis in tended as a relativecharacteristic." i

WVhile I have illustratedtwo forms of article holders having slightdifferences, it.

will be apparent they havef thi same} typical characteristics and thatother holders.

could be designed in the same manner al-I" though the shape might be'cons iderably changed. f i *7 i Various changes may be made in theprinciples of my "invention without departing from the spirit thereofasset forth" in the description, drawings and claims.

WVhat I claim is: i i

1. An article holder com rising a single wire having bent portionsormingsubstantially two rectangles, the base sides'of $11611 rectanglesbeing in substantial 'alinemefit, the adjacent sides of. the rectanglesforming gripping strands, the free ends 10f such strands such being, thefree ends of the wire riding on the base sides.

2. An article holder havinga single strip of wire, said wire havingtwotstra'nds'in parallel, means to attach same in a vertical strandsforming a vertical hanger strip, 'aq

pair of parallel horizontal strands at right angles to the hanger stripto extendhori zontally from the wall, single diverging base.

arms, a four sided figure formed tyipart oi the base arms,

converging strands, inwardly converging strands and return grippingstrands, said gripping strands being adjacent each other and havingtheir free ends riding 011 the base arms.

4. An article holder as claimed in claim 8, the corners of the outwardlyextending and inwardly converging strands being at a higher elevationthan the junction of the converging strands and the gripping strands.-

5. An article. holder formed of resilient wire having base armsextending in opposite directions and substantially horizonally, means toattach same to a supporting structure, loops formed by the remainingparts of the Wire, the adjacent parts forn'iing gripping strands with.their free ends such being the free ends of the wire riding on the basearms, the portions of the gripping strands adjacent each other being ofa lower elevation than the outer parts of the loop spaced furthest fromthe supporting structure.

6. An article holder comprising wires hav ing means to secure same to awall, a supporting strip having contiguous parallel wires extendinghorizontally outwardly from the wall, two base arms extendinghorizontally and parallel to the Wall in opposite directions and atright angles to the supporting strip, loops formed from said base arms,the adjacent parts of the loops forming gripping strands, the free endsof said strands such being the free ends of the wire riding on the basearms.

7. An article holder comprising a pair of wires extending horizontallyfrom a support, said wires being benttodiverge in a substantiallyhorizontal plane and form base arms, outward and converging strands,inward and converging strands and gripping strands, said grippingstrands being adja cent and having their free ends riding on the basearms.

In testimony whereof I have. signed my name to this specification.

W. N. HOWDEN.

